Wesley Corpus

I never saw in England so many stout, well-looking Preachers together. If their spirit be answerable to their look, I know not what can stand before them. In the June, 1781.] JOURNAL. 207 afternoon I rode over to Dawby, and preached to a very large and very serious congregation. Fri. 8.-Having now visited the island round, east, south, north, and west, I was thoroughly convinced that we have no such Circuit as this, either in England, Scotland, or Ireland. It is shut up from the world; and, having little trade, is visited by scarce any strangers. Here are no Papists, no Dissenters of any kind, no Calvinists, no disputers. Here is no opposition, either from the Governor, (a mild humane man,) from the Bishop, (a good man,) or from the bulk of the Clergy. One or two of them did oppose for a time; but they seem now to understand better. So that we have now rather too little, than too much, reproach; the scandal of the cross being, for the present, ceased. The natives are a plain, artless, simple people; unpolished, that is, unpolluted; few of them are rich or genteel; the far greater part, moderately poor; and most of the strangers that settle among them are men that have seen affliction. The Local Preachers are men of faith and love, knit together in one mind and one judgment. They speak either Manx or English, and follow a regular plan, which the Assistant gives them monthly. The isle is supposed to have thirty thousand inhabitants. Allowing half of them to be adults, and our societies to contain one or two and twenty hundred members, what a fair proportion is this What has been seen like this, in any part either of Great Britain or Ireland? Sat. 9.--We would willingly have set sail; but the strong north-east wind prevented us. Monday, 11. It being moderate, we put to sea: But it soon died away into a calm ; so I had time to read over and consider Dr. Johnson’s “Tour through Scotland.” I had heard that he was severe upon the whole nation; but I could find nothing of it. He simply mentions (but without any bitterness) what he approved or disapproved; and many of the reflections are extremely judicious ; some of them very affecting. Tues. 12.--The calm continuing, I read over Mr.